If you like something…

Author Notes: Several months ago I discovered an interesting collection of recipes compiled by a 19th century French Baron and gourmand extraordinaire, Léon Brisse. It was translated by Edith Matthew Clark and published in London in 1892. By today’s standards, the recipes are somewhat cryptic. I was fascinated to see that the recipe for duxelles calls for “a pinch of mixed spice.” This interests me because some time ago, I read (in Russ Parson’s “How to Pick a Peach”) that the French chef, Michel Richard, uses curry powder to season mushrooms in cooking. Since then, I’ve been using my own “white curry” powder in a variety of dishes I make with mushrooms, so I was curious to find out what comprised the “spice mix” in the Baron’s duxelles. I did a bit of research, going “directly to the source”(my standard procedure, learned at a young age as the child of an historian), to find this gorgeous combination of spices and herbs in Auguste Escoffier’s classic, “The Escoffier Cook Book.” I have the 1941 Crown Publishing edition (21st reprint, 1960); this is recipe number 181. I cannot know for sure if this is exactly what the Baron’s cooks used, but I have no reason to believe that it’s not close. It takes all of ten minutes, at most, to put it together, and is well worth the effort. The original recipe calls for 5 ounces of bay leaves (about enough to fill a pint jar, tightly packed), 10 ounces of peppercorns, etc. for a total of three pounds of spices used. Not needing quite that much of this spice blend in my kitchen (especially because one needs only a tiny pinch of it at a time), I adapted the recipe by maintaining the ratios, but reducing the amounts considerably. This makes about one cup of ground spice. It’s amazing. Enjoy!! ;o)
- AntoniaJames

Makes about one cup

10 grams broken dry bay leaves

6 grams dry thyme leaves

6 grams coriander seeds

8 grams ground cinnamon

12 grams whole nutmeg, broken

8 grams whole cloves

6 grams dried ginger root (I used “cracked ginger” from Penzeys.)

6 grams whole mace

10 grams white peppercorns

10 grams black peppercorns

(2 grams cayenne . . . . it’s in the original recipe, but I don’t use it)

Grind all the ingredients together to a fine powder. Pass the spice through a fine sieve before using. Store in an air-tight container.

This recipe caught my eye since I belong to Les Dames d'Escoffier and I have a soft spot for the dear man. I did not regard it as a curry but maybe "white curry " is an apt term. I find myself using it more and more and rather more than a pinch. It is great on salmon, enhances roasted potatoes and all sorts of roasted vegetables. Thanks so much for unearthing this gem.

I received some of this as a gift from a friend ;) and I finally tried it yesterday. It is very good and I look forward to experimenting with it more. I wanted to try it with something really mild for my first foray in order to really taste it: I sauteed some onions in oil until golden, added some chickpeas, milk, cream, butter and this blend. The nutmeg/mace really come forward in a pleasant way (which makes it different from a more typical curry perhaps?) Yum, and thank you to the sender who might be reading this, you know who you are!

If you look at the recipes in Escoffier's book, as well as in Brisse's, you'll see that what's referred to as "all-spice" by Escoffier (i.e., this) and "mixed spice" by Brisse, appears in a variety of recipes in which forcemeat is used, as well as in stews and terrines made with all manner of game and fowl. I'm using it in sausage this weekend, with a touch of fresh marjoram. It smells so good, it's also going in some crackers, with buckwheat honey. Stay tuned . . . . . ;o)

I'm using this regularly in scrapple now with huge handfuls (one each) of fresh marjoram and parsley . . . . . using (sort of) the ratio in the Rodale Press book called "Stocking Up," which I've had for about thirty years. ;o)